


The Way It Should Be

by RavenclawPianist



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Pining, Roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-05-14 21:50:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5760130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenclawPianist/pseuds/RavenclawPianist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sara tries to avoid feelings for her roommate and best friend. She doesn't do so well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Way It Should Be

**Author's Note:**

> Tierannasaurusrex on tumblr wanted some Smoaked Canary, so I came up with this. First time writing this pairing, but I probably will again.

Rolling her sore shoulder carefully in its socket, Sara opened the door to her apartment. After locking it behind her, she moved forward into the living room, stopping in the archway to lift an eyebrow at the sight awaiting her. A stack of DVDs sat beside two huge bowls filled with popcorn and Milk Duds, a collection of sodas and beers was lined up on the edge of the coffee table, and the entire room was lit by the blue glow of the television. On the other side of the coffee table sat one Felicity Smoak, wrapped up in at least five blankets and grinning. She patted the couch cushion beside her. “Come on! It’s movie night!”

Sara dropped her leather jacket on the floor before jumping over the table to land beside Felicity on the couch. “What are we watching?”

Felicity draped a few of her blankets over Sara, adjusting them all until they were wrapped up together and equally warm. “All the best rom-coms you missed while you were off being all assassin-y. We’re starting with She’s All That-”

“I was gone in the 2000s, not the 90s,” Sara interrupted, grabbing a handful of popcorn. “I’ve seen that one.”

“Well, it’s a classic so we’re watching it anyway,” Felicity continued. “And then we’ll watch Leap Year, and then Easy A, and end it all with The Notebook, because you can’t go wrong with Ryan Gosling and swans.”

Sara shrugged, leaning against Felicity as the movie began. “You just like the scenes where he doesn’t wear a shirt.”

“And you don’t?” Felicity asked, tucking her head into the crook of Sara’s neck. “Admit it, you like when he gets all angry and shaggy-haired.”

“I can appreciate his physique,” Sara conceded. “But the swan scene is overrated.”

They watched through the first movie without a problem, but once Leap Year began they began to get a little tipsy from the sugar and alcohol. “Oh, come on, the hotel only has one bed so we have to pretend to be married?” Felicity laughed. “Oldest play in the book. I used it before, so predictable.”

“You used that one?” Sara repeated. “When?”

Felicity shrugged, lifting her beer bottle for another sip. “College was an interesting time, okay?”

“I just can’t buy that she actually loves the guy she’s proposing to,” Sara commented. “I mean, he’s convenient, but does she even like him? Love shouldn’t be convenient.”

“Was Nyssa convenient?” Felicity asked.

Sara froze, the arm she had slung around Felicity’s shoulders going stiff. “Um, I- she-” she took a deep breath. “She was there, and she loved me. I loved her, but I don’t know if it was the kind of love that could last- especially when I didn’t like who I had become. It was more complicated than convenient. And now-” Sara stopped, glancing at the blonde looking up at her with sleepy blue eyes. 

Felicity snuggled in closer to her under their blankets. “I’m so tired. Do you want to save the other movies for another night?”

Sara nodded, looking down at Felicity. “Want me to help you to your room?”

Felicity shook her head. “Can’t we just sleep out here tonight?” she whined. “It’s comfortable and you’re here.”

A fuzzy warmth that had nothing to do with the alcohol spread through Sara’s chest. She tightened her arm around Felicity and leaned her cheek against the top of her head, closing her eyes. “Yeah, we can sleep out here.”

 

“Hey Dad,” Sara said, sliding into the other side of the booth at Big Belly Burger. “How’s work?”

Quentin grimaced. “You know how it is; you put away one crook just for another to step into his place. How’s the, uh, crime fighting?”

She nodded. “It’s going well. Felicity says hello, by the way.”

He grins as the waitress places two chocolate shakes down on the table in front of them. “She’s a great girl, Felicity. You know, you should try to date a girl like her instead of your usual type. Less likely to try to kill you if things go bad.”

“I don’t know,” Sara joked, ignoring the lump in her throat. “I think Felicity would probably try to at least maim anyone who hurts her. She can be surprisingly tough. And she never forgets a slight.”

“Good to know,” her father replied. “But at least she doesn’t play with knives.”

“Thank god,” Sara laughed. “She’d end up cutting off her own fingers and I’d have to take her to the hospital. It would be the potato peeler incident all over again.”

Quentin smiled softly as he surveyed his daughter. “You love her, don’t you?”

“What?”

He shook his head. “You seem, I don’t know, lighter when you talk about her. More like the Sara you used to be.”

Sara shrugged, toying with the straw in her shake. “She’s my best friend.”

“And you love her?” he pressed. 

She shrugged again. “How’s Laurel? I haven’t seen her much this week.”

 

They’re at one of the charity benefits Oliver and Thea have gotten into the habit of throwing over the past year when Sara overhears Felicity chatting with some old college buddy of Oliver’s. The man already has his bowtie undone and hanging limply from his collar, the expression on his face slowly going from flirty to confused to disappointed.

“Yeah, she’s seriously the best, I mean half the time I’ll come home from the office and find that she’s already made dinner for us and she is seriously the best at hugs, like, I’ve had some pretty good hugs in my life, but Sara totally is the best. And have you seen her tonight? She’s the blonde in a really dark blue dress? Isn’t she the hottest person you’ve ever seen in your life?”

“Well, you are a very attractive woman yourself,” the man said, obviously trying to salvage the situation. 

Felicity waved off his compliment. “Well, sure, but Sara is beyond beautiful and she acts all tough but she has such a good heart.”

“Right,” he replied, looking away. “I just saw an old buddy of mine. Nice talking to you.”

“Bye!” Felicity replied cheerily as he walked away. Sara moved to stand beside her, nudging her lightly with her shoulder. “Sara!”

“He was trying to flirt with you,” Sara commented. 

Felicity frowned. “What? No, I’m sure he was just being friendly, I mean he wanted to know if I came with anyone so I started telling him about you and-” her bright red lips formed the perfect O. “He meant if I came with a date, didn’t he? Oh, damn it!”

Sara laughed, placing her arm around Felicity’s waist. “Don’t worry, I’m a great date. And, like you said, I’m the best looking person at this benefit.”

Felicity blushed lightly, leaning into Sara. “I meant it, you are totally making everyone else here look bad.”

“Not you,” Sara replied, looking Felicity up and down. The other woman’s deep red dress clung to her curves until it flowed loosely from her hips, a slit in the side revealing her gorgeous legs. Her hair had been pinned up in a coil, and for once she had actually remembered to put in contacts before leaving the house. Golden earrings that Sara had given her for her birthday the previous month hung in her earlobes, catching the light any time she moved her head. “It makes sense Oliver’s old friends all want to take you home.”

Felicity smiled and linked her hand with Sara’s. “Well, only you get that privilege,” she promised. “Want another drink?”

“God, yes,” Sara replied, letting Felicity tow her through the crowd. 

 

“Hey Sara?” Felicity called from the living room. 

“Yeah?” Sara yelled back from where she was slowly working through the dishes that had been used in their attempt to make brownie waffles. 

“Do you want to go see a movie?” Felicity asked, leaning against the archway into the kitchen. “Just the two of us?”

Sara shrugged. “Sure. What do you want to see?"

“I thought maybe we could just go see whatever is playing next down at the cinema?” Felicity offered, voice a little higher than usual. “And maybe dinner afterwards?”

“Okay, just let me finish these last few dishes,” Sara replied. “I’ll grab my jacket and we can go.”

“Okay, cool,” Felicity said, standing up straight again. “Alright, okay, um, I’ll go grab my purse.”

Sara set the last bowl into their drying rack before going up to her bedroom and throwing on a pair of jeans in place of her pajama pants and pulling her leather jacket on over the simple grey t-shirt she wore. Felicity was waiting at the bottom of the stairs when she went back down, fidgeting with the strap of her purse.

“Everything okay?” Sara asked. “You’re a little jumpy.”

“Yeah, no, I’m good,” Felicity replied. “Ready to go?”

Sara opened the door. “After you.”

At the rerun cinema they got tickets for the two o’clock showing of Bye Bye Birdie. As they walked to their theater, Felicity reached out and held onto Sara’s hand. Sara linked their fingers automatically, squeezing her hand slightly. Once they were settled into their seats, she expected Felicity to let go, but she continued to hold on as the opening credits rolled.

Sara watched the screen for a few minutes before getting the itchy feeling at the back of her neck that always meant someone was watching her. Glancing over, she caught Felicity as the other woman whipped her head forward to watch the movie. Sara nudged her with her elbow and smiled. “You okay?”

Felicity nodded. “Yeah, just really glad we’re doing this.”

Sara squeezed her hand. “Me too.”

Felicity smiled, quick and blinding before moving to lean her head against Sara’s shoulder. Sara leaned her cheek against the top of her head, closing her eyes in contentment. She opened them again as another musical number began. 

Afterwards they waited for the few other patrons to leave the theater before getting up. Felicity continued to hold onto Sara’s hand, keeping their pace extremely slow as they made their way down to the main floor. “Can I ask you something?”

“No I would not make out with a rock star just because he was going to war,” Sara replied. Felicity smiled weakly. “Sorry, was that not the question you were going to ask?”

“Why didn’t you ever ask me out?” she asked instead.

Sara froze. “What?”

“When you first came back- the very first time- you were all flirty sometimes and saying how cute I was but you never actually did anything,” Felicity clarified. “I kept waiting for you to do something but then Nyssa showed up and you left and then we all thought you were dead again, and then you were back and my best friend, but you still didn’t say anything.”

“Did-” Sara cleared her throat, trying to get it to loosen enough for speech. “Did you want me to do something?”

“I thought it was obvious,” Felicity replied. “Thea wouldn’t stop teasing me about it for the first few weeks after I asked you to move in with me.”

Something clicked in Sara’s head. “So when she asked about how the U-Haul was going, she didn’t mean the moving service, did he?”

“No, she did not mean the moving service,” Felicity confirmed. “She meant my ridiculous crush on you and plan to get you to fall in love with me.”

“Oh,” Sara replied, thinking over the last few weeks. The times she’d come home to find flowers in her room because Felicity claimed she needed something pretty in her life, the time Felicity had them eat dinner in candlelight because ‘the electricity was out,’ the times she had woken up from nightmares and gone to sit out in the living room instead of trying to sleep and Felicity had dragged herself out of bed to join her with a dozen blankets and hot chocolate. “You love me?”

“I love you,” Felicity said. “A lot. Like a ridiculous amount.”

“Are you sure it isn’t just convenient?” Sara asked. “I’m here, you want someone to love?”

Felicity shook her head. “It’s not convenient, loving you is the least convenient thing ever. I’m always worrying if you’ll come home injured or if you’ll just take off one day or if you’ll find someone else you like more,” she reached out and took Sara’s other hand. “But I love you, and I’m really hoping I’m not alone in this.”

“You’re not,” Sara said absently. “But, you love me?”

Felicity nodded, smiling nervously. “Do you love me?”

Sara didn’t reply, instead taking one hand and sliding it into Felicity’s hair to pull her closer. She pressed their lips together, tasting strawberries from Felicity’s chapstick and breathing in her vanilla scented perfume. Her hand slid down to rest on Felicity’s shoulder as they rested their foreheads together. “I love you.”

Felicity grinned, bright and happy. “Thank god,” she murmured, putting a hand on Sara’s hip and pulling her into another kiss. This one had more heat and less of a question. Sara chased after Felicity when she pulled away again. “Wait, so you seriously wouldn’t kiss a rock star before they went to war?”

Sara laughed, pulling Felicity out of the theater. “Not if I had the option to kiss you instead.”

 

Sara finished making her round of the club at the benefit thrown by the Queens for a new children’s hospital. She found Felicity chatting with a young investor, radiant in a purple sheath dress that fell to her knees. 

“I’m sorry, I did come with someone. My roommate, Sara.”

“Just a roommate?” he asked. 

“Her girlfriend, actually,” Sara interrupted, moving to stand beside Felicity and wrap and arm around her waist. Felicity leaned into her, smiling.


End file.
